This invention relates to novel hydroxamic acid and N-hydroxyurea derivatives and their use. The compounds of the present invention inhibit the action of lipoxygenase enzyme and are useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases or conditions in general, for example, allergies and cardiovascular diseases in mammals, including humans. This invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, methods of producing such compounds and methods of using such compounds and compositions in the treatment of the aforementioned diseases and conditions.
Arachidonic acid is known to be the biological precursor of several groups of endogenous metabolites, prostaglandins including prostacyclins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes. The first step of arachidonic acid metabolism is the release of esterified arachidonic acid and related unsaturated fatty acids from membrane phospholipids via the action of phospholipase. Free fatty acids are then metabolized either by cycloxygenase to produce the prostaglandins and thromboxanes or by lipoxygenase to generate hydroperoxy fatty acids which may be further converted to leukotrienes. Leukotrienes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, asthma, ischemia reperfusion injury, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Any drug that inhibits lipoxygenase is expected to provide significant new therapy for both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions.
Recently, several review articles on lipoxygenase inhibitors have been reported. See, for example, H. Masamune and L. S. Melvin, Sr., in Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry, 24, 71-80 (Academic Press, 1989) and B. J. Fitzsimmons and J. Rokach in Leukotrienes and Lipoxygenases, 424-502 (Elsevier, 1989).
Furthermore, EP 279,263 A2, EP 196,184 A2, JP 63502179 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,809 disclose lipoxygenase
The present inventors have worked to prepare compounds capable of inhibiting the action of lipoxygenase and, after extensive research, have succeeded in synthesizing a series of compounds as disclosed in detail herein.